Actress Girija Oak Godbole recently opened up about receiving unwanted attention from men who used to flood her inbox with messages after pictures of her in a blue sari went viral.
The 37-year-old actress recently became the internet’s latest obsession, not for any of her new films, but for appearing in a blue sari during an interview. Her look instantly went viral, with netizens calling her ‘India’s Sweeney Sweeney’ and even drawing parallels to Monica Bellucci.
During a recent interview, Girija discussed the dark side of fame. “Eventually, you become thick-skinned. I started acting very early in my life. I've been around for 20–25 years now. Now, when some things happen, you take them with a pinch of salt,” she said.
“This time around, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't affected at all. I'm not an insensitive, stone-hearted person. I'm a human being, and things do get to me. But eventually, you have to work your way around it and figure out mechanisms to deal with it. What appalls me sometimes is the entitlement with which men send messages. It's quite amusing. I don't know what else to say,” she told News18.
The actress isn’t a new face in the film industry. She has been winning hearts with her performance quietly over the years, from Taare Zameen Par to Jawan.
She began her acting career with Marathi television. What shot her to fame in the mainstream were shows like Gulmohar, Lajja and Ladies Special.
The actress got her big break in Bollywood with Aamir Khan’s 2007 blockbuster Taare Zameen Par, where she featured as Jabeen, a minor but unforgettable role indeed.
Girija followed it up with Shor in the City alongside Tusshar Kapoor and Radhika Apte. In 2023, she joined Shah Rukh Khan in Jawan, which also starred Nayanthara.
Apart from Marathi and Hindi cinema, Girija also appeared in Kannada films like House Full in 2009. Recently, she worked with Manoj Bajpayee in the web series Inspector Zende.
Girija is set to appear in the series Therapy Sherapy, created by Palak Bhambri and co-starring Gulshan Devaiah.